I trust this message finds you well and thriving. If you haven’t already heard, I am thrilled to share some incredibly exciting and significant news about the evolution of our organization.
It has been an honor and a joy to serve as Executive Director of Faith in Minnesota since we collectively created it in 2017. Over the years, Faith in Minnesota has flourished, driven by our shared commitment to developing bold, political and public leadership of regular Minnesotans and creating people-centered politics. My journey with Faith in Minnesota has been both enriching and transformative, and it is now time for me to take on a new role within our community and in the broader field of community organizing and advocacy.
The essence of Faith in Minnesota’s success lies in our unwavering dedication to nurturing human potential in our collective public work. True to this ethos, I am pleased to step aside as the Executive Director of Faith in Minnesota, as we have a team of leadership ready to move to new levels.
The Faith in Minnesota board and myself are excited to announce the initiation of a six-month Interim Phase to facilitate a seamless transition in executive leadership. Effective January 1, 2024, Minister JaNaé Bates and Alexa Horwart will step into the role of Interim Co-Directors of Faith in Minnesota. Their passion, commitment, knowledge, and vision make them well-suited to guide us into this exciting new chapter.
During this transitional period, I will continue my journey in partnership with the Faith in Minnesota community as the Chair of Faith In Minnesota Action PAC and Senior Advisor to the organization.
Transition Timeline
For approximately six months, JaNaé and Alexa will serve as Interim Co-Directors allowing time for them, our staff, our leaders, and the organization to acclimate to this significant change. Following this period, a smooth transition into their roles as Co-Executive Directors is anticipated. I will be going on a sabbatical from January through April and, when that period has ended, I will return in a new role with Faith In Minnesota Action PAC.
While the timeline may seem swift for some, I assure you that this transition has been a carefully considered and intentional years-long process, aligned with Faith in Minnesota’s growth, strategy, and vision for the future.
Your Crucial Role
Your role in this transition is pivotal. Your insights, dedication, and commitment have been instrumental in Faith in Minnesota’s success. I invite you to continue this journey with us as we adapt, grow, and collectively strive for a more just and equitable community.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you who has contributed to the growth of Faith in Minnesota. Here’s to a future filled with shared victories and continued impact. I am excited about the prospects of our continued partnership in my new role and look forward to learning and growing together.
With gratitude and enthusiasm for the future,
Doran Schrantz Executive Director Faith in Minnesota
SAINT PAUL — August 2, 2022 — Faith in Minnesota, a political home for nearly 7,000 people of faith who are acting boldly and prophetically to create a new, people-centered politics in the state, enthusiastically endorse Tim Walz for Governor and Keith Ellison for Attorney General in the upcoming 2022 election. Top members of Faith in Minnesota representing the organization across race, religion and region conducted a rigorous endorsement process and the choice was clear. Walz and Ellison share a similar vision for Minnesota with us, have a proven track record of success, and are ready to continue fighting for tangible wins for the lives and wellbeing of all Minnesotan families across the state.
Governor Walz has been a long-term champion of addressing our state’s childcare crisis by expanding funding for childcare across the state, including increased funding for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP). He was a champion on getting Frontline Worker Bonus Pay passed this legislative session, for which over 1,000,000 Minnesotans have applied to date. Despite obstruction from the Senate GOP, he continues to advocate for wildly popular policies Minnesotan’s deserve, like paid family and medical leave, climate action, and police reform and accountability to ensure Minnesotans – no matter their skin color – are safe in their communities. Here’s what a couple Faith in Minnesota leaders are saying about Walz:
Krissy Devorak, from Bloomington, MN and a leader with Kids Count On Us, coalition of childcare centers organized by Faith in Minnesota, shares why she’s excited to support Walz: “I’m really excited to support Governor Walz and Lieutenant Peggy Flanagan for reelection. They’ve been strong leaders for childcare in our state, and in light of our ongoing crisis in childcare, Minnesota families need them to continue that work. Not only that, Governor Walz creating the children’s cabinet through executive order was a pivotal moment for early childcare and education. We need to see that continue.”
Dan Quillin, from Minneapolis, MN and leader with Faith in Minnesota’s Minneapolis congregations adds: “Walz has a strong commitment to making sure as Minnesotans we are able to care for our families and our future, through things like childcare, paid family and medical leave, and protecting the environment. These are issues that matter to every Minnesotan, and we need him to continue that work another four years.”
Attorney General Keith Ellison has demonstrated a clear commitment to be a champion for Minnesotans of every race, income level, and ZIP code. He has taken on corporate profiteering, people’s access to healthcare, and successfully defended a lawsuit of the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act against a set of pharmaceutical groups. Ellison and his team are protecting the rights of working people in Minnesota, serving as a watchdog for wage theft cases and getting back the paychecks people are owed. He is also taking on the housing crisis and protecting renters by suing a set of residential property companies that have hiked rents and made tenants live in substandard conditions – including the most recent win this week against a corporate landlord in Northfield and their illegal practices. And with people around the world watching, Ellison convicted Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd. Ellison’s tenure sets a high bar for attorneys general across the country. He is the clear choice for Minnesota’s attorney general and the kind of legal champion people across the state deserve. Here’s what a couple Faith in Minnesota leaders are saying about Keith Ellison:
Cynthia Brown, a leader with Barbershop and Black Congregation Cooperative shares how she sees the direct impact Keith Ellison has made in her life:“I’m excited to support Attorney General Keith Ellison for reelection because he has the same values as me and my community. Minnesota should be place for everyone, no matter the color of your skin and how much money you have. I’m a diabetic, and a three month supply of insulin is $2,400. Him going after the pharmaceutical companies who bump their profits by charging people more for healthcare we need is really hopeful. Ellison is fighting for and working for the people, as our attorney general should.”
Leota Goodney a Northfield resident added: “I’m delighted to support Keith Ellison for attorney general this election. He has been a big advocate for renters, especially those facing substandard living conditions due to bad landlords. In fact, he just took on an out-of-state management company in my town that was mistreating and threatening residents in the mobile home park the company recently purchased. And they’ve backed down as a result. We need Keith Ellison to continue fighting for the needs of the people like this. It’s the kind of leadership Minnesotans deserve.”
The 2022 election will have a direct impact on the lives of Minnesotans across the state and the issues we face. While wealthy corporations rake in record profits by raising the cost of goods and services, families feel the burden at the grocery store and at the gas pump. Parents and educators bear the brunt of chronic underfunding of our schools and childcare centers caused by the Senate GOP’s obstructionism in service to Big Business and the wealthiest people in our state. We are experiencing the impacts of climate change on our communities and health right now, and leaders must respond decisively and urgently. MAGA Republicans are working to undermine our democracy and the people’s right to choose their leaders by restricting people’s access to vote and sowing distrust in our election process through myths and lies. These are all serious issues. We can overcome each and every one of them when when we elect bold leadership and those leaders continue to work with the people well after election day.
Every Minnesotan deserves leaders who will address the issues our state and families face head on. Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are the right leaders for the job.
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Faith in Minnesota, the 501(c)(4) arm of ISAIAH, is a political home for people of faith who are acting boldly and prophetically to create a new, people-centered politics in our state — one rooted in abundance, where everyone is in and no one is out.
Faith in Minnesota’s Electoral Work
In 2020, Faith in Minnesota organized 1,430 volunteer Democracy Captains who lead an ambitious voter engagement program, reaching out to 1,376,600 Minnesotans through texts, doorknocks, and phone calls. Filling over 7,400 shifts, Faith in Minnesota had conversations with 269,171 high potential voters about the 2020 election.
As we have said many times, a budget is a moral document. It shows our priorities and our values.
Most Minnesotans share similar values. We value caring for one another when we’re needed most. We value public education and good health. Clean air, pure water and a future that we can pass on to our children and grandchildren.
What Happened
With $9.3 billion of unspent funds, our state legislature had the opportunity to make huge strides in building this future. Yet a handful of extremists who control the Minnesota Senate chose to block progress this year. They chose to reward large corporations with tax breaks. They chose to continue a bailout of the healthcare insurance corporations. But when it came time to solve the crisis facing our childcare providers, our public schools and our climate future, these same elected officials said “No!”
There are no words for this, other than these: Total. Moral. Failure.
Hard Fought Wins
Governor Walz and the Minnesota House leadership fought hard for needed funding for childcare, paid family and medical leave, and climate action. They also fought hard for ALL essential workers to be recognized – not just nursing home workers – and rewarded for their sacrifices through the early years of the COVID pandemic. Kids Count On Us joined with a broad coalition of worker organizations and fought and won those bonus payments.
As this legislative session comes to a close, we have our wins to celebrate, our champions to cheer, and a clearer idea of the battle in front of us. We also know who’s to blame as so many families will continue to feel the weight of failed leadership in the Senate controlled by the GOP. Most importantly, we are equipped with information about what we can do in the face of all this!
The Work We Have Ahead
What we have always known to be true is that when we fight, we win. Minnesota is our home. A robust multiracial democracy and a caring state where all of our families can thrive is possible… when we fight for it. We saw the Governor and House fight for and pass many bills that would create abundant households, happy children, smart students and healthy families.
We will continue to fight for them and we will win!
Faith in Minnesota to Launch Major End of Legislative Session Mobilization
Volunteers will knock on 30,000 doors in 9 key Senate Districts, talking to 5,000 voters
ST. PAUL, Minn. – May 10, 2019 – As we approach the final days of legislative session, Minnesotans from across the state are frustrated with the lack of leadership from the Minnesota Senate on key issues such as affordable healthcare, childcare assistance, Paid Family and Medical Leave and 100% Clean Energy. Leaders with Faith in Minnesota have planned an unprecedented push to mobilize voters to contact their Senators in the last days of the 2019 session to give them notice that it’s time to #LeadOrLeave.
Most Minnesotans – black or white, rural or urban, left or right – want pretty similar things. They value their families and need policies that allow us to care for each other and thrive. Sadly, the senate has gotten in the way of families being able to do that. The obstruction and blocking of policies for regular families have been to the benefit of big corporations and big pharma, while to the detriment of families across the state.
“Minnesotans across the state agree with our bold vision for our families and our future. They are ready for champions that will go to bat for our issues and make clear the choice between serving the interests of a privileged few or the people of Minnesota,” said Patsy Foster-Bolton, a FiMN leader in Minnetonka.
“We believe it will take strong leadership from the Governor and House along with maximum pressure on the Senate to deliver on the agenda that Minnesota needs,” said Khalid Omar, leader with the Muslim Coalition of Faith in Minnesota.
We believe that the best way to get the Senate’s attention is to get out of the Capitol and into key Senate Districts to make clear to voters the choices being made by their senator and generate hundreds of phone calls and conversations within the district.
Faith In Minnesota’s #LeadOrLeave Mobilization Plan includes:
Training 350-400 volunteers to filling over 700 volunteer shifts to knock on doors in 9 Senate Districts across the state to show the public demand for our agenda: affordable healthcare, childcare assistance, Paid Family & Medical Leave, 100% Clean Energy, and restoring voting rights and driver’s licenses.
Knock on more than 30,000 doors and talk to more than 5,000 voters, generating calls on the spot to senators.
Highlight via social media using the hashtags #LeadOrLeave and #NoIsNotAPlan.
In addition, we will conduct Spanish-language community canvassing and Muslim-to-Muslim door knocking in select communities.
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Faith in Minnesota
Faith in Minnesota is a political home for people of faith who are acting boldly and prophetically to create a new, people-centered politics in our state — one rooted in abundance, where everyone is in and no one is out. www.faithinmn.org
Faith in Minnesota (FiMN) Faith Delegates and Alternates have undertaken an intensive process with all three Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Gubernatorial candidates: Tim Walz, Erin Murphy and Rebecca Otto. Our goal was to explore which candidate would be most viable in having a co-creative relationship with us around our agenda and values. We were looking for who we believe will create a bold, new kind of politics with us in 2018 and beyond.
This process included many conversations with the candidates, both one-to-one with the Faith Delegates and Alternates and in forum settings, including the FiMN Latino Convention where 70 faith leaders – unable to participate in the political arena because of immigration status – were able to deliberate and make recommendations to the Faith Delegation about the candidates they believe best represent our values.
Our 176 Faith Delegates and Alternates had an internal poll to rank the candidates on these values. Erin Murphy was the decisive top choice.
Our goal is to have a powerful partnership with the endorsed DFL candidate and to continue to build a co-creative relationship with other delegates and candidates. We highly support the DFL uniting and endorsing a candidate on Saturday. That is what would be best for everyone and for a positive and powerful 2018 political season.
We are not looking for a God, Messiah or Savior. As people of faith, we are grounded in that terrain. Instead, we know, that only together, through intentional, co-creative relationships with Minnesotans and people in power, will we create a people-centered politics of abundance and not scarcity. Will we have the Minnesota we all deserve – white, Black, and brown, rural, city, Muslim, Christian, parents, children, neighbors… no one will be excluded.
Our Faith Delegates come from the Greater Minnesota, inner and outer suburbs and the Cities. They represent the gamut in economic class; are Black, white, Asian and Latino and are almost a third Muslim with the bulk being Christian. The strong majority of our Faith Delegates are first time delegates to the state convention and almost half of them have never even caucused at their precincts before. They are engaged in this process because they want to change how politics happens.
FiMN has intentionally chosen not to use the language of “endorsing” or “endorsement” as it is not conducive to what we are doing or the new kind of politics we are creating. We are embodying the co-creative relationships with one another that we desire to see embraced from every single candidate in every public office.
The DFL State convention is but one weekend of a long journey to a transformed political arena in Minnesota. We embark on this boldly and our prayer is that you join us.
Organizing Coalition leads path in creating a politics of #FaithNotFear
Rochester, MN – Faith in Minnesota released the following statement:
Today’s successful DFL endorsement of Rep. Erin Murphy for Governor was driven largely by the grassroots energy and action of the 176 DFL State Faith Delegates and Alternates organized by Faith in Minnesota. A year ago, thousands of people of faith started coming together to build a new politics grounded in our faith-values of love, abundance and hope. Today was an important milestone in a journey that began almost a year ago.
“This was not just about a candidate – this was about a co-creative relationship with the next Governor of Minnesota,” said Imam Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society.
Hamdi Kosar, a Faith Delegate from Willmar, said, “I got involved because I know our fates are tied together. We believed in each other. In spite of all the cynicism and those telling us it wasn’t possible, politicians who scapegoat us and try to divide us. Minnesotans will see through it and come together to build a new future.”
The Rev. Javen Swanson, a Faith Delegate from Saint Paul said, “By being part of a collective of people of faith, we built an extraordinary amount of power – all through this process. Now we have a responsibility to steward this power. Grounded in our love, and our mission, we can steward and grow this power so that all people can live together in dignity, health and wholeness.”
“See what happens when we come together and lead with faith, not fear!” said Doran Schrantz, Executive Director of Faith in Minnesota. “What an amazing feeling of love, faith and solidarity we’ve built in Rochester today. That feeling has been separate from politics for too long. Now we have work to do, bringing that feeling to every corner of our state.”
Our Path of #ClaimingOurVoices
#ClaimingOurVoices is a joint initiative of Faith in Minnesota (FiMN) and our partner organization, ISAIAH to elect a governor in 2018 who will co-create a new people-centered politics of abundance and inclusion with us over the next four years and beyond. Our Claiming Our Voices House Meetings throughout the fall of 2017 were the first step in our formation of boldly proclaiming our faith and our vision for a just and fair Minnesota through the 2018 election year. Hundreds of FiMN and ISAIAH leaders came together to develop our 2018 Faith Agenda for a just and fair Minnesota that reflected the concerns and issues that emerged from our House Meeting conversations.
Through Claiming Our Voices, thousands of people of faith from all walks of life were trained across our state to participate in Minnesota’s 2018 precinct caucuses and district conventions. Approximately 3,000 of them attended their precinct caucuses in February, with 800 FiMN leaders attending DFL Party district conventions and more than 200 of them being elected Faith Delegates or Alternates to the DFL State Convention through FiMN.
FiMN Faith Delegates and Alternates undertook an intensive process with all three Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Gubernatorial candidates. We explored who we believed would have a co-creative relationship with us in creating a bold, new kind of politics for Minnesota in 2018 and beyond.
This process included many conversations with the candidates, both one-to-one with the Faith Delegates and Alternates and in forum settings, including the FiMN Latino Convention where 70 faith leaders – unable to participate in the political arena because of immigration status – were able to deliberate and make recommendations to the Faith Delegation about the candidates they believed best represented our values.
Our 136 Faith Delegates and 40 Alternates, (10% of total delegation) committed to moving as a bloc together on the DFL Convention Floor had an internal poll to rank the candidates on our values. Erin Murphy was the decisive top choice.
Faith in Minnesota
Faith in Minnesota is a political home for people of faith who are acting boldly and prophetically to create a new, people-centered politics in our state — one rooted in abundance, where everyone is in and no one is out. www.faithinmn.org
